The plot thickens in Landman as hard-ball attorney Rebecca Falcone comes out of the shoot in episode 8 of the hit Paramount+ series with guns a-blazin’ for her anticipated verbal dust up with Cooper Norris.
When we last visited The Patch, the oil company attorneys, Nathan and Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) hit a roadblock in their settlement talks with Ariana Medina, played by Paulina Chavez. Ariana, skeptical of the legal double-talk surrounding her husband’s oilfield death, continues to seek advice from her surprise new roommate, Cooper (Jacob Lofland). In turn, Rebecca is most pleased with finally crossing paths with the elusive oilfield crew newbie and sole survivor of the pumpjack explosion in the series’ season opener.
Though Rebecca does her best to intimidate Cooper, with her not-so-subtle hints on his possible involvement with the explosion, she does so to no avail. It seems the young roughneck has been paying a lot more attention to the politics of oil industry litigation and accidental death payouts to victims’ families, than anyone thought to imagine. With Ariana solely leaning on him as her personal life coach, Cooper steps in to demand that M Tex Oil step up its settlement dollars to the Medina families.
Without question, the implications of such a fiery demand impact Cooper’s own long-term employment with the company. No worries though, Cooper’s animated heart eyes towards Ariana indicate that, for him, it may be worth it. Now above Nathan’s pay grade to make that call on his own, the elder attorney radioes his boss’ boss Monty Miller (Jon Hamm) for approval to get the families to millionaire status. Played serenely by veteran actor Colm Freore, Nathan’s presence tempers every scene with his calm-in-any-storm persona as the voice of reason and often the only acting adult in the room. Rebecca finds that she may have met her match with the Norris Family men - a fact that is emphasized once again with a heated follow up convo with Cooper’s dad, Tommy, later that night. No doubt, this was not one of Rebecca’s best days.
Back in Fort Worth, oil magnate Monty works on yet another issue as he seeks the Texas governor’s help with the menacing drug cartel near his oil rigs outside Midland, and asks for assistance from the Texas National Guard. Like candy from a baby, Monty gets what he wants. For now. As problems continue to rise for Monty, so does his blood pressure. He presses his driver to take a swing by the hospital on the way home —- a check of his Apple Watch has just told him that the stress has gotten the better of his heart.
Sandwiched between the serious of this episode, we find a bit of comic relief in James Jordan’s oilfield engineer, Dale Bradley, still trying to navigate the antics of the Norris Family funhouse that has become his home life; and Ali Larter’s Angela, the rekindled pseudo wife to Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris. It is still up for debate, though, as to whether or not Angela as a character is on canvass for pure satire, or writer/creator Taylor Sheridan truly believes this is how Texas oil wives actually think and behave. In her rough-around-the-edges dialogue, one is left to wonder if Larter’s character lines are inserted merely for unfiltered shock value, or there is some deeper meaning to their overt shallowness, yet to be revealed.
Nevertheless, what Angela’s presence lacks in substance and deep thought, Ariana’s time on screen with Cooper more than makes up for it, with its quiet display of a woman’s undeniable reservoir of strength and resolve. With their knowing looks, the quiet questioning of the appropriateness of their pairing — once again, the budding romance between the young widow and her gritty knight in oil-stained armor, drill down into what remains the heart of the narrative. And, in between the big oil economics lessons and what’s really killing our planet teen discussions in the episode, you find yourself mentally fast-forwarding through the filler scenes to get back to the storyline that clearly carries the sentimental weight of the show.
When the other parts do not make sense, the angst of this right-person, wrong-time love affair, somehow, almost always does.
For his part in the ensemble scenes playing opposite the burgeoning lovebirds, Thorton thrives in his versatility as an actor, tapping into his own ability to convey that needed sensitivity and touching depth, showcasing emotional nuances that contrast with the rougher edges of his persona.
In these, dare-I-say tender, moments, Thornton uses subtle facial expressions, a softness to his voice, and gentle body language to illustrate Tommy’s inner conflict for his son, and the bitter reality of what a long-time relationship with his crew mate’s widow would mean. Thornton balances toughness with the vulnerability of a father, creating a rich and engaging portrayal, that translates into a character decidedly more relatable.
To bring episode 8 to a close, Landman brings us back to the high-stakes drama that originally gave the big oil story its purpose. In the episode’s final minutes, the National Guard has arrived as promised and quickly makes its presence known with aerial training maneuvers, to serve as a deterrent to the cartel in and around The Patch. Little do the military men know, their presence may have indeed thwarted a drug runner exchange in process, even if not in the ways they intended.
Only time and the next episode will tell what could possibly be the fallout for our favorite landman, as a result.
Landman streams each Sunday on Paramount+.
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